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Saturday, September 7, 2013

Here is how I made my own Broomstick. I am sure you can find different tutorials online for different ways of doing it, I didn't look at any of those I just pretty much made this up as I went along and it turned out pretty good! It was fun and simple!

What you will need;
* A long stick or tree branch found in nature, or a wooden dowel you can find at a craft store.
* Long straw, thin branches, or Raffia to use as the bristles. (I used a combination of Raffia and the dry needles that fall off my Palo Verde tree)
* String, cord, or yarn for wrapping the bristles to the broom handle. Lots of it!
* Hot Glue gun or super glue to help hold things in place.
* Scissors
* Optionally you can use ribbon, bells, feathers, and charms for decorating your broom.
* If desired some paint or markers to decorate the handle.

To begin;
Cut the Raffia into the length you desire for bristles. Gather a hand full of the Raffia, straw, or whatever you are using for bristles and wrap string tightly around one end to make a small bundle, like this;

You will need 5 or 6 of these bundles for your broom. Make them bigger or make more of them if you want the bristle part of your broom to be more full.

Next;
When your bundles are ready, take one of them and apply glue to the end of your broomstick. Then use another long length of string to wrap and tie (tightly) the bundle to the bottom of the broomstick. Repeat this process for each bundle, all the way around your broom. When you have all the bundles attached, you may want to wrap more string, or ribbon around the entire base of the broomstick, again applying glue just to make sure everything stays in place nicely.

Decorating;
You may wish to wrap more ribbon or string to the top few inches of the broom handle, for decoration. If desired, hang bells, charms, or feathers from string to the top of the broomstick. You can also add these to the bottom to hang around the bristles. Additionally, you can paint or draw. designs, symbols, words, or runes onto your broom handle.

You will want to bless and consecrate your broom if you plan on using it for ritual or household magick. It is also traditional to name your broom, give her a name that makes you feel happy and peaceful! For blessing I would suggest smudging your broom with sage, perhaps anointing with some blessing oil, and a quick and simple prayer or chant in which you dedicate the purpose of the broom to be used for positivity.

Brooms have long been associated with Witches and Witchcraft. Everyone has seen the images of a Witch flying through a moonlit night on her broomstick. While most of these stories can probably be traced back to the old days of Witch Hunting and The Burning Times as stories meant to scare children and help people "identify" witches, there are many magical uses for brooms that are very much alive and well for the modern witch. Broomsticks, also called "besoms", are traditionally used to purify and cleanse a sacred space before ritual. Sweeping away the negative energy in a circle to help create a sacred and protected place for rituals, and meditation. They are also commonly used for energetic cleansing of a home, sweeping away any negativity that may have gathered in your house. Broomsticks are also associated with dreaming and Astral travel, which is probably how they became associated with "flying".

The broom can be used for cleaning, decoration, magick, and ritual. It is suggested that you have more than one broom for your home; one for the daily cleaning and sweeping, and one or more others for rituals or magick. (Though the first, for cleaning, can also be magickal, it is not the same one you would use during ritual, but both can be used for sweeping away negative energy.)

The broom is commonly seen as the symbol of the female witch and represents her vehicle for traveling into dreamtime, astral travel, and her power over her realm - the Home and Hearth. Since it is mainly used in purification and blessing, the broom is commonly associated with the element of water; thus is also used in all types of spells including love, dreams, astral travel, and psychic workings. Yet others see the broom as associated with the element of Air and align it more with masculine energy because of it's phallic appearance.

Generally the most common use for a broom or "besom" is to ritualistically cleanse and area for magick. In many Wiccan traditions (though not limited to such), a ritual is begun by gently sweeping the area (the circle) before the altar is set up - sweeping away any negative astral energy. For more, see the *Broom Purification of Space Before Ritual * post

It is customary for a witch to name her broom - thus imbuing it with personal energy by respecting it as an intimate familiar. If you have a permanent altar, the customary placement for your magickal broom's "Home" would be the left side of your altar. (stored bristle side up for luck) If you don't have a permanent altar set up, your broom can be stored behind a door, hanging on a door or wall, under your bed, or wrapped in a cloth and stored in a closet; somewhere that it can be untouched and undisturbed between ritual uses.

Sweeping

The simple act of sweeping can be very magickal. When using a new broom for the first time, you should sweep something into the home, otherwise, you may sweep your luck right out the door.

If you have a fireplace, you should always sweep towards the fireplace. Otherwise, you can sweep in any direction except for towards the door. Some people choose to sweep the room's perimeters in a clockwise circle, beginning at either the East or the West, to enhance the cleansing energy of sweeping. It is also believed that sweeping at night may bring bad luck or prevent good fortune. This belief seems to be based on ancient folklore that says sweeping disturbs the spirits that walk the floors at night time. More on broom folklore can be found in this post- Broomsticks ~ Many Uses and Lore ~

Making or decorating your own Broom

A traditional magickal broom is crafted from a wooden staff (preferably Ash), Birch twigs, and Willow binding. Though other materials can be used such as Straw, Pine Needles, Lemon Balm, Elder Stalks, Mallow Stalks, etc. You may want to decorate the handle with sacred symbols such as a crescent moon, runes, or sigils of protection or cleansing. Feathers, bells, other herbs, or shells, can also be hung from your broom to further empower it for magickal cleansing and blessing purposes. If a broom cannot be made, you can decorate a store-bought one with any of these suggested items, and cleanse it or bless it for your purpose. The following inscription is suggested in the book "The Magical Household" by Cunningham and Harrington;

On one side of the broom, with the words traveling toward the bristles, write "I sweep in Luck, Blessings, and Prosperity." On the other side of the broom, with the words traveling away from the bristles, "I Sweep away Negativity, Evil, and Poverty."

Here is a list of some Lore, Beliefs, and Magickal Uses associated with Broomsticks (Besoms)

•It is considered unlucky to buy a broomstick in the month of August.

•Bringing an old broom into a new house is bad luck. If you are moving, buy a new broom and leave the old broom at the old residence. (this applies to the brooms you clan with, but you can take your magickal brooms or decorative brooms with you... just cleanse them or bless them before using them in your new home.)

•When you first use a new broom, you should first sweep something into the house. This invites luck and fortune into your home. Otherwise, you just may be sweeping away your luck! It is also believed that if you make wish the first time you use a new broom, it will come true.

•If a broom falls from your hands while you sweep, make a wish before you pick it up.

•Sweeping at night is considered unlucky, as it disturbs the spirits who roam the floors as others sleep.

•If a broom falls across a doorway, you will soon go on a journey. Pick it up quickly without stepping over it for a safe journey.

•If a broom falls anywhere else in your home, you can expect company.

•To bring rain, stand outside and swing a broom in the air over your head.

•Place our broom on your front porch during a lightning storm to protect from lightning stikes.

•If you want to get married, jump over a broomstick nine times - you will be exchanging vows within the next year.

•Placing a broom across the top of any doorway in your home allows your departed friends and family to speak to you if they so choose.

•For protection while you sleep, lay a broom beneath you bed. a small broom tucked under your pillow is said to protect against nightmares.

•If you must be away from home for some time, and want to return home to an energetically clean and safe bed, tuck a broom into it, laying the bristles on the pillow.

•Two brooms crossed and hung on a wall or nailed to a door guard the house, as does a broom placed on the ground before the door. A broom standing behind a door (bristles up will guard and protect your home and prevent from unwanted visitors.

*sources*

"To Ride a Silver Broomstick" by Silver Raven Wolf

"Wicca for the Solitary Practitioner" by Scott Cunningham

"The Magical Household" by Scott Cunningham and David Harrington

I found this beautiful Sweeping Spell online, but I don't know it's original source or author

This is a Sweeping spell I wrote;

While sweeping Widdershins (counterclockwise) and finishing by sweeping out the door, chant and repeat;

"Sweep, sweep, away from here

Anger, worry, negativity, fear.

Sweep, sweep, sweep away

negativity now kept at bay!"

Then sweeping in from the door and clockwise around the room, chant and repeat;

"Sweep, sweep, welcome in

Love and Health to stay within.

Sweep, sweep, sweep again

Prosperity and Blessings now begin!"

Here is a photo of my hand-made Magickal Broom. In the next post I am going to show a tutorial on how to make one of your own!

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